… which is surely to at least make a passable attempt at pronouncing the surnames of foreign sportspeople (Fognini is NOT pronounced FOG-nee-nee Clare…) you know, since you’re paid £500,000 a year to commentate on international sporting events… 🙄

she asked Chris Hoy last night what ‘rollers’ were….. Hope it was for benefit of the viewers…

Should be sacked for that IMO….

Sick of the sight of her.

Clare Balding….Media whore.

She’s bloody everywhere. But why? She rode horses. That’s it.

I really fail to see the appeal of having her everywhere.

Would rather the BBC saved 500k and had a few younger, more knowledgeable sports professionals presenting their sports.

Too much exposure. she was great at London 2012, but slightly tiresome now.

The Beeb salaries are a good reflection of how badly managed Auntie is!

At least the Becky and Mark show is entertaining and informative.

had a few younger, more knowledgeable sports professionals presenting their sports

What like this annoying one, who is all legs and no substance…or knickers apparently…

Clare Balding – You have ONE job to do…

Nah

She’s bloody everywhere. But why? She rode horses. That’s it.

She is bloody everywhere. She’s got a million jobs to do. I don’t mind her. I think you’re all being homophobic. 😐

I think you’re all being homophobic.

Seriously ?

she asked Chris Hoy last night what ‘rollers’ were

Rollers?

😀

Be fair – “rollers’ was obviously a plant to get Hoy to explain to Joe Public

FunkyDunc

I think you’re all being homophobic.

Seriously ? [/quote]

No not really.

@FunkyDunc. That was a really unhelpful picture to post! 🙂

[Yep, I really am that shallow]

She used to cover rugby league. That was a nadir. It was like one of the partridge’s absurd made up programmes. Mark chapman is much better.

i think there’s a BBC policy of not giving a flying one about how Foreignists names are actually supposed to sound. I haven’t watched much of the Olympics but what I have seen has been terrible for that!

Sir Clive and Eddie Butler pronouncing all the rugby players’ names differently was quite amusing. Luckily I like Sir clive otherwise it would’ve been most annoying!

or knickers apparently.
Sun or Mirror?

Sun or Mirror?

Sun, Mirror, Daily Mail, plus more I assume.

Don’t your read the quality news 🙄

i think there’s a BBC policy of not giving a flying one about how Foreignists names are actually supposed to sound

I think you’ll find it’s the bloody foreigners who don’t know how to pronounce their own names, ignorant bunch of ne’er do wells.

or knickers apparently.
Sun or Mirror?

I’d say it would be easiest to tell by using a mirror but it would help if the sun were out.

She’s the new Frank Bough.

Hopefully without all the scandal.

Never mind foreign names, I’ll be happy when everybody south of the wall can say Forfar properly. It’s not Forfaaar, FFS.

I was getting a bit annoyed with Chris Hoy last night to be fair. Oh you used to do a bit of cycling did you? You never mentioned it.

say Forfar properly. It’s not Forfaaar, FFS.

the only time I’ve ever heard the name is Saturday afternoons in the 70s:
“East Fife 5, Forfar 4” 🙂

Does no-one remember Phil Ligget’s risible attempts at foreign names? Just how many ways can you pronounce Jan Bakelants or Bauke Mollema?

Claire Balding is more frontman (frontwoman?) than commentator – a job I think she does pretty well.

+1 slowoldman

another vote for Clare, I think she’s pretty good.

Whilst I’m by no means a fan of Balding I guess if she can pull off presenting with a bit of charisma then the Beeb are probably justified in their choice. I know lots can do the job but I’m pretty certain it’s not as easy as we like to think. Just look up the horror that was Otis Deeley or what ever his name is commentating on some athletics championship a few years back….. It was car crash TV. I seem to recall him just dying on his arse in front of millions of viewers and channel 4 had to bin him pretty quick. Compared to that Clair Balding is a pro.

I think she’s sound.

I think she’s funny.

She’s good with Michael Johnson and Colin Jackson when the athletics starts. I assume/hope that they are doing the coverage this year.

Last night on Wiggins when he was sat before his heat with headphones on ‘he’ll be listening to rock music’.

No he bloody won’t! Anyone who knows anything about him would know he is a diehard Mod and loves The Jam. I have absolutely no idea what music other cyclists like but he rattles on about The Jam / Paul Weller incessantly!

+1 how she got the main job is beyond me.

ps. wasn’t the score East Fife 4, Forfar 5 ?

‘he’ll be listening to rock music’.

No he bloody won’t!

I suspect, to people “like her”* The Jam is (er, are)(no, were!) rock music. Not far off really, like.

*presuming a classical bent (no pun intended) 😀

ps. wasn’t the score East Fife 4, Forfar 5 ?

That was the cup game 😆

She’s bloody useless. I get that she (they) plant leading questions so that supposedly interesting things get explained to “Joe Public” but she goes about it in completely the wrong way and come across like a patronising auntie that is just feigning interest. “Yes, Dear. You ride a push bike. Oh, that’s nice, Dear”.

Last night to Hoy, “The bikes have no brakes!! How do they stop themselves running in to each other?”

The interview with the Athertons a few months ago was on a similar level. No interest in the genuine dedication, skill, commitment to the sport just things like, “ooo, you’re brother’s really fit with his kit off!” or “those rocks look big and you’re going really fast, do you ever get scared?”

Absolute waste of space. Go do one, horse face woman.

It must be really tough to come up with enough chatter to fill the endless hours of TV coverage. I guess folk interested in other sports will have the same issues about stupid comments too. Mind you, I was speaking to someone last night about cricket coverage and he was telling me that the chat was very much NOT about the actual cricket 🙂

I was just saying last night what a brilliant presenter Clare Balding is. She shouldn’t be expected to have expert knowledge especially at the Olympics.
I like her anyway.

So how should one pronounce fognini if not fog nee nee?

So how should one pronounce fognini if not fog nee nee?

At a guess I’d say Foh-nee-nee

I don’t expect her to have expert knowledge in every obscure sport the Olympics throws up, just some more intelligent questions and sincere delivery. It’s the way she goes about her interviews that rattles me; insincere over reactions to what are pretty basic levels of subject knowledge.

” You’re a civil engineer? So you know how to make bridges? And I bet you’re really clever and do lots of maths. That’s amaaaaazing!!!! What’s the hardest maths sum you’ve ever done?”